Welcome from the Department Chair

Welcome to the Urban Policy and Planning website.

Our department was founded by the urban planner and activist Paul Davidoff in 1965, the same year that President Lyndon Johnson declared cities a national priority and created the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Johnson chose Dr. Robert Weaver as HUD’s first secretary, making Weaver the first African American to ever serve in a federal cabinet position. After leaving his post in Washington, Weaver, an economist by training, joined our department as a Distinguished Professor, where he taught for eight years. Proud of its distinct heritage, our department remains committed to the ideal of social justice that was so clearly enunciated by these two historic figures. Whether they take courses in our interdisciplinary undergraduate urban studies program or pursue degrees in one of our two graduate programs, our students are committed to making cities better places to live for all people, especially those marginalized by poverty or discrimination. Our graduate program in urban planning remains one of the best in the nation, and our recently revamped graduate program in urban policy and leadership is well designed to equip professionals from a variety of disciplines to act as agents of change in cities here and abroad.

Take some time to get better acquainted with our faculty, programs, and activities, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you want to learn more.